It gets a little hard when folks get there late…

[Bob Bailey]

I 've got a sister and BIL that could get lost walking home from their mailbox. After stalling many holiday dinners for them, Mom decided to just serve dinner on time whether they showed up or not. Every time, they claimed they got lost. Mom and Dad lived in the same place for 20+ years and they lost their way? Mom & Dad are gone now, but I'd bet Sis & BIL are lost somewhere.

 

[ChuckH]

She be like...

That was a funny episode. Frank Borone’s A I S,(a$$ in seat). I use that myself nowadays.

 

[Joe T Gomez]

Tim that’s a good cook it’s all worth waiting for

 

[Chuck-roaniecowpony]

This project was really amazing even for being this sadly over done!
Started out beautifully:
View attachment 42418
Flavor profile was delightful! Fresh Oregano, Fresh Thyme, garlic, ex virgin olive oil. Salt and Pepper
Just off and restingView attachment 42419

Herbs de Lewis. Very nice. Bummer about the over cooking. Next time you get in that pickel, let it cool down, re-heat individually sliced via careful microwave with help from an IR thermometer. Re-heat to just about 100F. It's better than overcooking.

Hopefully, the dinner was a great time with good friends/family.

Full disclosure; I have a brother that is habitually late to these events, usually between 1 to 2 hours. Years ago, after something similar to your overcooking experience, my wife drew the line and said we gave a time we'd like everyone to arrive well ahead of dinner and a time dinner would be served, and we will serve at that time. After that, there were some holidays when he arrived after everyone was eating and at least once when everyone was finished and we were cleaning up (he and his lady ate alone in the dining room that time). He was clearly embarrassed in front of the family. He got better. Keeping a large crowd of people waiting while their dinner is getting overcooked, is unfair to them, frustrating you the host, and inconsiderate of the late arrivers. Serve on time and let the late ones know it's not ok.

 

[Darren Lebner]

That was a funny episode. Frank Borone’s A I S,(a$$ in seat). I use that myself nowadays.

My wife and I picked up using AIS with the kids the moment after we first watched the episode. Still use it between us instead of "departure time".

 

[Chuck-roaniecowpony]

With my family I generally tell them to arrive at a certain time and then plan on having the food ready at least a 1/2 hour later. I learned this after having a Thanksgiving spread wait close to an hour for everyone to arrive.

Our family generally has a 3pm "start to arrive" time and 5pm "dinner will be served" proclamation. This gives family a window for arrival that's plenty big and time to warm up or cook their side dishes they brought, or just catch up with others and pick at appetizers, for those that show up early. For my brother, it gives him a 2 hour window, which he has on occasion, blown past by 2 hours. We eat when it's time to eat, nowadays.

 

[MartinB]

The opposite is just as bad.

When they tell you that the food will be ready at 3, so you get there at 2:30..... And then you don't eat till 6:00.

Yeah, I love sitting around somebody else's living room watching TV while they cook.

 

[Chuck-roaniecowpony]

The opposite is just as bad.

When they tell you that the food will be ready at 3, so you get there at 2:30..... And then you don't eat till 6:00.

Yeah, I love sitting around somebody else's living room watching TV while they cook.

We pretty much just have family over for dinners. Been that way forever with us. If we want to socialize with friends, we go to neutral territory. A restaurant. Neither side is put out to create a meal rather than socialize and people are more equally relaxed. But I get that locales with limiited restaurants or those with financial constraints tend to have dinner guests more. I just prefer going out. If I want to share my BBQ, I fix a tray and take it over. I did this a few times recently with various neighbors. ...and we have block parties a few times a year, where I do bbq.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

If anyone shows up too early, they get pressed into service! I tend to congregate in the kitchen when I used to be invited to peoples places. I’m happy to help or make cocktails or simply be conversational.

 

[Chuck-roaniecowpony]

The opposite is just as bad.

When they tell you that the food will be ready at 3, so you get there at 2:30..... And then you don't eat till 6:00.

Yeah, I love sitting around somebody else's living room watching TV while they cook.

I thought you were going to say the opposite is that they won't leave. We have some family members that do that sometimes. They keep staying and staying. I get pissed and just say I'm going to bed, turn out the lights when you leave.

 

[MartinB]

I thought you were going to say the opposite is that they won't leave. We have some family members that do that sometimes. They keep staying and staying. I get pissed and just say I'm going to bed, turn out the lights when you leave.

Once we eat, have dessert and coffee, we start making reasons to leave. Got to get back to the dogs.....let them out , feed them, etc Last thing I want is to hang around somebody else's house . Even when we go to in laws, we usually take four cars. Everybody wants to leave when they're ready to leave. Nobody wants to be stuck there. Wife goes first to help, I come later. And my kids have always insisted on driving their own cars too, they're not going to be stuck there.

Sounds crazy but once when we went to visit my parents who lived 370 miles away..... My daughter insisted on driving her own car..... If we were going to be there several days she wanted that freedom to do what she wanted when she wanted.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

I don’t often need to “shoo guests out” but, there have been a couple of times when I’ve said “The guest room is made up, coffee is set up for morning, I’m going to bed.” I have only used that once, and they did stay the night, which was a wise move! I have a long time friend who is great fun to simply talk with he and I have stayed up until the sun was coming up! Put another log on the fire, pour another dram, just talking. Not getting ripped just well oiled conversation.

 

[Chuck-roaniecowpony]

I don’t often need to “shoo guests out” but, there have been a couple of times when I’ve said “The guest room is made up, coffee is set up for morning, I’m going to bed.” I have only used that once, and they did stay the night, which was a wise move! I have a long time friend who is great fun to simply talk with he and I have stayed up until the sun was coming up! Put another log on the fire, pour another dram, just talking. Not getting ripped just well oiled conversation.

Long time friends are sometimes a treat to sit up with late. But family that you see often enough, need to move along. As the Terminator said; "Get out".

The really great part about our family (wife's side, anyway) is that they help clean up after dinner, then we serve dessert. Sometimes they even clean up after dessert. The younger ones (30 ish) are pitching in lately.

But the next morning, you'd swear people were having a food fight by the amount of food on the floor.

 

[TimA]

The opposite is just as bad.

When they tell you that the food will be ready at 3, so you get there at 2:30..... And then you don't eat till 6:00.

Yeah, I love sitting around somebody else's living room watching TV while they cook.

I was guilty of that this year. I decided to do two turkey breasts for thanksgiving, one on a rotisserie on the Sequoia, one on the Smokefire; one was on time the other not. Then Christmas I did the prime rib on the Smokefire, same result. It was late both times.

First two bigger runs with a pellet. Definitely not like my trusty kettles

 

[Chuck-roaniecowpony]

I was guilty of that this year. I decided to do two turkey breasts for thanksgiving, one on a rotisserie on the Sequoia, one on the Smokefire; one was on time the other not. Then Christmas I did the prime rib on the Smokefire, same result. It was late both times.

First two bigger runs with a pellet. Definitely not like my trusty kettles

I have a fear of doing a new thing for a big holiday family gathering. I always do something I have done many times and have confidence in making it come out as intended. My wife is the adventurer. She does new (to her) recipes all the time.

 

[MartinB]

Personally, I'd be a little less jaded about it if it hadn't happened 3x per year, for 29 years.

It's the way it's been as long as I've known my wife. Even when my wife said they were starting to eat and she told her parents to go ahead and eat without us...... And we get there 45 minutes later they still were an hour away from eating.

Food is always near cold by the time it gets on the table too. They got no idea how to get bread and side dishes ready at the same time as the main meat. And yeah they got two ovens and a toaster oven.... As well as the microwave.... An extra induction burner on the countertop........ To go with the full stove top
..... Can't pull it off.

 

[Chuck-roaniecowpony]

As the saying goes..."you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your family"

 

[Joan]

Just remember this one thing. Family members die off and someday you too may be the only member left. It's a pretty sad thing and very lonesome. PLEASE!!!!!! Love and enjoy them while you still have them.

 

[JayHeyl]

Food is always near cold by the time it gets on the table too. They got no idea how to get bread and side dishes ready at the same time as the main meat. And yeah they got two ovens and a toaster oven.... As well as the microwave.... An extra induction burner on the countertop........ To go with the full stove top
..... Can't pull it off.

One year I had a detailed schedule of when to do each thing in preparation for the meal. Every single thing that needed to be done in the kitchen was on the schedule with an expected time to completion, with the whole schedule timed backwards from the appointed dinner time. My brother laughed at me about it, but nobody complained when dinner was ready on time and everything was hot. You're right, it takes planning and experience to be able to get three or four dishes done at the same time and on the table.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

One year I had a detailed schedule of when to do each thing in preparation for the meal. Every single thing that needed to be done in the kitchen was on the schedule with an expected time to completion, with the whole schedule timed backwards from the appointed dinner time. My brother laughed at me about it, but nobody complained when dinner was ready on time and everything was hot. You're right, it takes planning and experience to be able to get three or four dishes done at the same time and on the table.

I learned that technique when I was in high school, I thank Anne Greenman for teaching that every time I have a big feast to do!